Start Your Day Right Daily Devotion
(KJV) Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / ACTS 4:31
Several important truths stand out here.
- The phrase “baptized with [or in] the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5) describes how the Holy Spirit sets Christ’s followers apart and infuses them with God’s power to boldly and effectively spread the message of Jesus Christ. The terms “filled,” “clothed” and “empowered” describe the Spirit equipping believers for ministry and service (Acts 2:4; Acts 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:19, 52). The “filling” may be repeated or refreshed.
- These two concepts of “baptized” and “filled” also fit together to form a picture of this experience in a Christian’s life. The word “baptize” actually means to immerse, or to dip into; but since the Spirit works within a person, baptism in the Spirit becomes an overflow of the Spirit. For example, a person who receives spiritual salvation is like a container that was once empty being filled with fresh water. He or she is no longer empty but has the Holy Spirit living inside (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). Then, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is like pouring more clean water into the container until it overflows from within (John 7:38-39). A person who is baptized in the Spirit becomes saturated and immersed (“baptized”) with God’s presence to the point where it spills out of his or her life and is so evident that it impacts others.
- The terms “pouring out the Spirit” (Acts 2:17-18; 10:45), “receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38; 8:15) and “coming of the Spirit on” (Acts 8:16; 10:44; 11:15; 19:6) are different expressions for the occasion when Christians are ‘filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4; Acts 4:31; 9:17).
- All the believers, including those who had been previously filled (Acts 2:4), are freshly filled to meet the continuing opposition of the Jews (Acts 4:29). Though a person receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit only once, fresh fillings with the Holy Spirit are part of God’s purpose and provision for all who have received the baptism in the Spirit (Acts 4:8; 13:52). We should desire and expect those fillings.
- The Spirit here visits and impacts a whole congregation. To fulfill God’s will and mission for the church, not only must individuals be filled with the Spirit (Acts 5:8; 9:17; 13:9), but entire congregations (Acts 2:4; Acts 4:31; 13:53) should experience repeated displays of power from the Holy Spirit when special needs and challenges arise.
When God graciously provided the entire congregation with a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, the church experienced great boldness and power to speak for Christ, great desire to love and serve one another and great favor from God on all the people.
SPOKE THE WORD OF GOD BOLDLY / ACTS 4:31
The inner power of the Holy Spirit and the reality of God’s presence freed the believers from fear and inspired them with great courage to speak out for Him. Two of the overall purposes of the baptism in the Holy Spirit are to provide a deeper experience of personal worship toward God and empower their public witness to other people (Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 14:2-4).
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Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter
- FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / ACTS 2:4
- THEY WERE BAPTIZED / ACTS 19:15
- THIS CORRUPT GENERATION / ACTS 2:40
- REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED / ACTS 2:38
- FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN AND FOR ALL / ACTS 2:39
- WORSHIPING … AND FASTING / ACTS 13:2
- KEPT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT FROM PREACHING / ACTS 16:6
- GUIDED BY GRACE HOME
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